ISSWSH 2026 Recap: Testosterone, Research Funding, and Women's Sexual Pleasure with Dr. Tami Rowen
Sexual medicine is underfunded, misunderstood, and often dismissed. But it's also one of the most collaborative fields in healthcare. Dr. Tami Rowen recaps this year's ISSWSH conference and what it revealed about the fieldis direction.
Dr. Rowen is the current president-elect of ISSWSH and has been instrumental in shaping sexual medicine education and research. We recorded this right after the 2026 ISSWSH conference in Long Beach, which had almost 600 attendeesone of our biggest conferences yet.
We discuss the standout research from the meeting, including award-winning work on sexual function after gender-affirming hysterectomy and why most top abstracts focused on sexual pleasure rather than prevention. We talk about the reality of research funding in sexual medicine, why industry support creates conflicts of interest that look bigger than they are, and how the lack of NIH funding means we have almost no treatment options for conditions like vulvodynia.
We also dive into testosterone therapy, why it's controversial, what the data actually shows versus what social media claims, and why Dr. Rowen doesn't treat hormone levels but rather treats individuals with specific goals. We discuss body image after breast cancer surgery, lymphedema's impact on sexual function, and why technoference is contributing to the lowest rates of sex we've ever seen.
Highlights
ISSWSH focuses on sexual pleasure and quality of life, not just prevention of pregnancy and STIs.
Research funding for vulvodynia is $4 million annually versus $800 million for breast cancerthat's one grant versus hundreds.
Testosterone therapy should treat symptoms and goals, not hormone levels or deficiencies.
Body image and sexual function outcomes are significantly worse after mastectomy versus lumpectomy, even though cancer outcomes are equal.
Technoference (technology interference) is contributing to historically low rates of sexual activity.
If you're a clinician interested in sexual medicine, consider attending the ISSWSH Fall Course for foundational education and the annual meeting for cutting-edge research.
If you're a patient navigating any issues and not currently getting help, know that there are practitioners out there who want to help you.
